Filed To Story: Spit or Swallow: Kiss Of The Basilisk
“Yes.”
The thought repulsed her. “I’d really prefer you didn’t.”
Caspen’s jaw clenched. “Trust me, I would prefer that too. But I must, Tem. I have to make sure his hands do not stray. If they do, I will kill him.”
“Are his hands known to stray?”
By the look on his face, Tem could guess the answer.
“I’d rather you didn’t kill your own father because of me.”
“It would be because of him.”
“Still.”
The entire conversation was absurd. Tem couldn’t believe they were talking about this-that she was really going to have sex with Caspen’s father in a public auditorium. Nothing about this was normal.
“What else?” she asked.
“He values confidence. He will sense if you are afraid or if you doubt yourself.”
“I’m not afraid.”
The barest of smiles touched Caspen’s lips. “You never are.”
They both stared at the fire.
“Is that it?” Tem asked.
Caspen sighed. “There is more. You will have sex with me as well as my father.”
Tem stared up at him.
“At the same time?”
“No,” Caspen said quickly. “One after the other. My father has seniority, so you will be with him first. Ideally, you will bring him to climax. If not, then the ritual is already over. If you succeed, you will have sex with me next. It is imperative that both my father and I finish quickly. If it draws on, he is less likely to give his blessing. In both cases, we will come outside you.”
Tem frowned. “Why?”
“To present proof to my quiver. That way, there can be no question of your achievement.”
Tem processed this information. She had no idea there would be so many rules. “Is that all?” she whispered.
“Nearly. If you succeed in both cases, you are worthy of my father’s blessing. Should he decide to give it, you and I would go to a designated suite.”
“A suite? What happens there?”
Caspen sighed.
“Well?”
“We would be expected to…celebrate the king’s decision.”
“Celebrate how?”
The pause lingered.
“Oh, for Kora’s sake,” Tem cried. “Just tell me, Caspen. Tell me all of it, right this second, or I’m walking home.”
Caspen didn’t protest. He simply said in a monotone, “We would celebrate by having sex. Continuously.”
“Continuously?”
“Yes. The closest comparison I can make is to what humans call a honeymoon. It is customary for the new couple to sleep together until midnight. If we do not, my father could revoke his blessing.”
“He could revoke it at any time?”
“Yes.”
“But how would he know if we didn’t have sex until midnight?”
Caspen answered in the same quiet tone. “The suite is public, just like the ritual. Everyone will be watching us.”
It was incomprehensible-the whole thing. There was nothing in Tem’s mind except pure, unfiltered disbelief, and it threatened to consume her in an unstoppable wave. She felt the sudden need to sit down.
“Is that all?” she breathed.
“Yes. That is all.”
Tem had never been so happy to hear it.
She closed her eyes. A moment later, Caspen embraced her, and she let him. Tem leaned against his chest, trying not to think about what would happen tomorrow. But there was no avoiding it. Everything culminated here.
“Tem.” Caspen’s voice was a strained whisper. “Please. Tell me what you are thinking.”
She opened her eyes. “I’m thinking I had no idea what I was getting into when I told you to undress the first night we met.”
His arms tightened around her. “Yes. Of that I am quite sure.”
There was nothing else to say. Tem was numb.
Caspen held her for a long time, and eventually, they climbed onto his bed, pulling off their clothes as they went. They didn’t have sex. Instead, they stared at each other in the dimly flickering firelight as Caspen traced his fingertips up and down Tem’s body. She knew he was using the motion to calm himself just as much as her.
It seemed as if they were on the verge of something significant-something that would alter their relationship forever. Tem had no idea how the ritual would affect them-whether it would change their dynamic for better or for worse. Caspen was a basilisk, so he respected his people’s customs. But he was also a man, and a possessive one at that. Tem couldn’t imagine that sleeping with his father would improve things between them.
They drifted off together, Caspen’s hand still on her waist.
She was awoken by her name:
Tem.
Caspen’s voice was clear as day, ringing through her mind like a bell. Tem sat up straight, her heart pounding like she’d just run a mile.
“What is it?” she asked.
He didn’t answer. His eyes were closed, his body motionless except for the gentle rise and fall of his chest. Tem leaned down, squinting her eyes at him. A slow smile pulled her cheeks as she realized he was asleep.
Caspen must be dreaming about her.
As soon as she thought it, she knew it was true. His mind must be interacting with hers-the barrier lowered, the corridor between them wide open.
New Book: Returned To Make Them Pay
On her wedding anniversary, Alicia is drugged and stumbles into the wrong room—straight into the arms of the powerful Caden Ward, a man rumored never to touch women. Their night of passion shocks even him, especially when he discovers she’s still a virgin after two years of marriage to Joshua Yates.